


Stuck in the Middle

by ouchsolo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Na Jaemin is a Confident Gay, Poly Norenmin, norenmin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:07:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24299353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ouchsolo/pseuds/ouchsolo
Summary: Huang Renjun lives an entirely normal college life in Queens, New York. He lives in a perfectly normal dorm with his perfectly normal best friend and gets perfectly normal grades in his perfectly normal art classes. Then, one day, he finds himself falling for the bright and intriguing Na Jaemin- Early Education major, flirt- AND his boyfriend, Lee Jeno. Who will Renjun choose? Or will he have to choose at all?
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 11
Kudos: 254





	1. The Good Life

**Author's Note:**

> This is a POLYAMOURY fic, if that makes you uncomfy please don't read! Also it's technically finished but needs major editing. Other than that, Enjoy!

Renjun had moved to America with his parents when he was 10 years old from Jilin, China. He then grew up outside of Philadelphia in a city called Westchester, and as quaint and interesting as his modern colonial home and local Panera were, he was not the type to stick around in amish country. During highschool he focused heavily on the arts, and that paid off when he got accepted to Queens University for their art program. Two years later in the spring of his sophomore year, things were going quite well. He lived on campus with his best friend, Donghyuck, his grades were excellent, and his part time job fed his really uncontrollable ramen habit. However, all that seemed so painfully distant as he sat on the steps of a random complex, music still vibrating his sternum despite the concrete barrier between him and the noise. Renjun was not the type to go out- at all. He liked to watch alien documentaries alone in his room and avoided eye contact with store clerks. He wasn’t particularly nervous around people, just preferred to not have to interact, for his own sanity. If not for Hyuck begging him to come along, Renjun would be nestled under his blankets, his laptop warming his stomach as he scrolled through bigfoot videos on youtube. Instead he was shivering slightly beneath his denim jacket, the New York winter still clinging to it’s last bit of life, and he had a half empty solo cup in one hand while he scrolled through his phone that was on 15% in the other. In other words, things were going terribly. If not for his best friend having the time of his life inside, he’d walk back to his dorm right then and there, especially since he had a shift at the library the next morning. 

A clanking of bottles behind him broke him out of his pity party and he turned quickly to see two guys stumbling out of the house, coming down the first set of stone steps before one of them paused on the landing just above Renjun to give him a drunken smile. The male was tall, broad shouldered, and had silvery hair that clung slightly to his temples. His white t-shirt was covered by the black leather jacket he wore well. One leather clad arm was slung over the other guy’s shoulders, blending in with his jet black hair, and they appeared to practically be holding each other up. Soon- but not quick enough- Renjun realized he was staring, and hoped that the intoxicated men didn’t notice.

“Hey, sir, could you, uhm,” the silver haired one began to speak, and Renjun looked on in confusion as he waited for him to formulate his thoughts. 

“Cab,” the dark haired one chimed in, his hand coming up to gently caress the silver haired males cheek. “You’re too drunk, Jaem.” 

The pair shared a giggle and stumbled a bit more before turning their attention back to Renjun, who was frozen in his spot.

“You- you want me to call you a cab?” Finally his words found him.

“If you can, please. Our phones-” the one referred to as “Jaem” waved his hand around a bit, still unable to form coherent thoughts.

“Yeah, yeah I understand. Okay, I’ll get one.” He wasn’t sure why he agreed, seeing as his phone was about to die, but nonetheless he called the number he usually used and requested a cab for the pair. 

Once that was done he looked over to see they had somehow sat themselves beside him on the steps, still draped over each other like, well, drapes.

“I’m Jaemin,” the silver haired one held out his hand and Renjun glanced down at it to see it adorned in silver rings that accentuated his delicate features. After once again staring a bit too long Renjun took the males hand in his own, giving it a quick shake before being offered a new hand.

“Jeno,” the dark haired one added, and Renjun slipped his hand out of Jaemin’s grip to shake the other boy's hand. His hand was much stronger looking, gold rings illuminating prominent veins that had him looking like a marble statue.

After a moment he retreated his hand and gave the pair a slight smile. “I’m Renjun.”

“I’ve seen you before…” Jaemin trailed off before a lightbulb seemed to go off right above him.”You work in the library, don’t you?” 

Renjun hesitates before a slightly drawn out, “yes?” leaves him, that sounds more like a question than an answer.

Jaemin turns back to look at Jeno and the pair exchange a few words in Korean that Renjun can barely understand. His Korean was lacking as his parents mostly spoke Chinese at home, but he still knew a bit from his childhood.

Jeno glances past the silver haired male to stare directly at Renjun as they spoke, and he catches an audible, “he’s cute” followed by a small agreement from Jeno.

“Are- are you talking about me?” Renjun was a bit confused, and maybe he’d heard it wrong but he was almost positive he didn’t.

Jaemin swiftly turned back to face Renjun, a slight look of surprise on his features. “You know Korean?” was all he said, not answering his question.

“Sort of.”

“I thought you were Chinese?” Jeno asked.

“How would you know?” Renjun felt that was probably a stupid question, seeing as Renjun wasn’t a Korean name, and his accent was different, and they could probably tell just by looking at him.

“Well… Renjun isn’t-” Jeno began to speak but Renjun quickly cut him off.   
“Okay, yeah, I’m Chinese. I was born in Jilin, so I was taught both when I was little.” Renjun was too caught up in defending himself despite the fact that they were the ones talking about him in front of him, which he quickly tried to gear back to.

“Hm, cool.” Jaemin said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Anyways,” Renjun said with a bit too much of an annoyed tone, “why were talking about me?”

“We weren’t.” Jeno said casually.

“You called me cute, I heard it.” Perhaps too much earnest was bubbling to the surface and Renjun began to doubt himself- did he hear it? Or did he just want to hear it?

Jaemin leaned in closer to Renjun at his question, his dark eyes examining Renjun's untouched brown hair, and sweeping across his features before landing on his lips. Renjun gulped. “You’re right, I did call you cute.” One of Jaemin’s hands reached up to pull a strand of hair away from Renjun’s eyes, and though every muscle in his body was screaming at him to get up and run far, far away, he stayed frozen. “Why don’t you come with us?” The drunken, playful expression that was once on the taller males' features faded into something that sent shivers down Renjun’s spine. 

“What? A-are you crazy?” Something in him was somehow unsure how to answer, even though the obvious answer was no, but he couldn’t deny how clearly hot the two were and for a brief moment his inhibitions tried to escape. 

“Injunnie!” Renjun snapped his gaze up and away from Jaemin to see Donghyuck waving to him from the top steps. Then from behind him a honk from the cab he’d called made him practically fly as he stood from the steps. 

“I have to go. Uh. Bye.” With that Renjun turned away and quickly made his way back up the steps to the safety of his best friend. 

“Thanks for the cab, babe!” Jaemin called after him as he and Jeno climbed into the back seat, finally disappearing from Renjun’s view.

“Who was that?” Donghyuck raised an eyebrow at Renjun, who just shook his head in response. “Okay, well, ready to go home?” 

“Yes. I couldn’t be more ready.”

The walk home was filled with Renjun listening not-so-attentively to Hyuck retell the events that he’d missed. All the while Renjun was thinking about the exchange that had just occurred only moments ago. Was he really just thinking about agreeing to a threesome with strangers? He wouldn’t have, he thinks, but maybe?

Once the pair arrive back to the dorm they strip down almost immediately to their boxers and both put on sweatpants and a hoodie- like a long married couple. 

Within minutes of hitting the pillow Hyuck was snoring, but Renjun had a harder time falling asleep. Strands of silver and glints of gold occupying his mind every time he shut his eyes.

\----

The next morning Renjun woke with only the slightest dull headache, thankful he didn’t drink much the night before. He looked over to see Donghyuck still asleep in his bed, and pushed himself up to a sitting position before rubbing lazily at his eyes. Renjun picked up his phone and checked the time, before a mumbled “fuck” emitted from him. 

His work had called him twice and he was 30 minutes late. 

Quickly he jumped from his bed and grabbed a clean pair of jeans that replaced his comfortable sweatpants, an exchange he hated more than anything else in the world. Thankful that he’d plugged his phone in before falling asleep he grabbed his headphones and rushed out the door.

The library was only a few streets down from his dorm, but Renjun found himself sprinting there to avoid being any more late. If there was one thing Renjun hated it was being any sort of an inconvenience to people, mostly because he did not like having to deal with people’s feelings, and once he pushed through the swinging gate at the library door he exhaled with relief as he saw the librarian on duty was in fact his favorite.

“I am so sorry, Emily. I forgot to turn my alarm on and-”

“Hey, no worries, it happens.” Emily gave him a reassuring smile and Renjun’s flushed cheeks perked up to match her. “But, because of that I already let someone take the circ desk so you are in the stacks today.”

“I suppose that’s only fair.” Renjun looked over at the ‘to be reshelved’ cart and his heart sank the slightest bit, seeing as it was filled top to bottom with books. “The evening shift people really don’t even try do they?” He said with a slight huff before grabbing the cart, pulling it behind him towards the elevator. 

Renjun shelved books for at least two hours before the boredom had set in, which he felt was a personal goal. He still had about half the cart left when he decided it would be harmless to pull his phone out and check twitter- for just a second, of course. Things were normal. His cousin posted her dog. Harry Styles did something somewhere. 

“Excuse me, sir, do you know where I can find some books on Mandarin?” The voice startled Renjun and he quickly put his phone back into his pocket, thankful it was just a patron and not his supervisor.

“Uh, yeah I’ll-” He froze. His blood turning cold like the strands of hair staring back at him. Renjun wasn’t sure whether to act normal or completely fall apart and turn to run away. “Show you.” He finally finished. 

Renjun’s eyebrows furrowed together slightly as he gestured for Jaemin to follow him. Thankfully books about Mandarin were on their same floor  _ but why does he even want that?  _ He thought to himself. As he led Jaemin down an empty row of books he ran his fingers along the bindings before stopping at a collection in front of him. 

“Here, I don’t recommend Mandarin for Dummies though if you’re actually wanting to pass your class or whatever.” Renjun swallowed the lump that had settled in his throat and hoped with every fiber of his being that Jaemin didn’t remember the night before. That this was an unfortunate coincidental meeting between fellow university goers.

“Thanks, Injunnie.”  _ Oh no.  _

“What?” Renjun’s cheeks flushed and his heart began to beat in his ears from sheer embarrassment. He remembered.

“Renjun. That’s your name isn’t it?” Jaemin reached out to grab Renjun’s name tag that was clipped to his t-shirt.

“But you called me-” Renjun paused, once again feeling as if his ears were deceiving him.

“Called you what?” Jaemin’s familiar smirk played at his lips, but something about it was even more deafening than the night before. Maybe the lack of alcohol made Jaemin more in control of his features, or maybe the fluorescent lights made Renjun more painfully aware of how they affected him. 

“Stop doing that.” Renjun finally blurted out, unsure of why the hell his mouth was moving when his brain hadn’t caught up. “I feel like you’re gaslighting me or something.” 

Jaemin let out a slight laugh and shook his head, looking at Renjun with a curiosity he couldn’t hide. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be… gaslighting you? I was just-” this time Jaemin was the one who paused, trying to find the right word. It satisfied Renjun to know he’d caught him in the act, whatever that act was. “I came to apologize.” 

Renjun’s arms folded across his chest, partly to keep his hands from fidgeting and also to show that he was, in fact, upset. “Oh?”

“Yeah. Jeno and I were super drunk last night and I-” another chuckle escaped him, his cheeks glowing with amusement at himself. “I was not thinking about my actions. What I said to you was completely out of line.”

Renjun listened carefully, his arms relaxing in their grip against his chest as he saw Jaemin look at him expectantly. Finally, a smile played at his lips, “it’s okay. Really. My friend has said worse things to me while being even less drunk.”

“Wow, you took that apology better than anticipated.” The same bright grin illuminated Jaemin’s features and he slipped his hand out from his jean pocket to hold out to Renjun. “So, friends?”

“Sure,” Renjun nodded, letting his hand free to take the boy’s offer, shaking his hand for a moment before retreating back to himself. What was he supposed to do? Say no?

After a moment of silence a thought occurred to Renjun.

“Wait, so you really came to the library on a Sunday because you wanted to apologize to me?” His brow creased to emphasize his question and almost immediately Jaemin made a scrunched-nose, guilty expression.

“Yes... but also because I did actually need help with my Mandarin class.” His grin was overtaken with a pleading look that Renjun couldn’t help but laugh at.

“You want me to teach you Mandarin? Isn’t that literally what your professor is for?” Renjun wasn’t sure whether he should be upset or amused, but the humor was currently winning over the situation.

“Yah, don’t you think I’ve tried? I promise I wouldn’t be coming to a complete stranger that I insulted only hours ago unless I was in urgent need of some help.” Jaemin clasped his hands together, giving Renjun the most devastating puppy dog eyes he swears he’s ever seen a grown man pull. “I will pay you 20 dollars per session. And I’ll throw in some coffee, if that’s your thing.” 

Renjun stops to think for a moment, having an internal struggle with himself on whether or not he’s considering the offer because Jaemin is hot or because he wants the cash- or if it is even either of those and he’s just stupid. 

“You don’t have to pay me,” okay, so it’s not just the cash. “And I hate coffee. You can buy me some boba, though.” Renjun watched as Jaemin lit up once again, a strong hand coming up to grab one of his admittedly small shoulders. 

“Are you sure? Tutoring my dumb ass you might want to reconsider the cash thing.” Jaemin and Renjun share a laugh at his words and Renjun simply shakes his head in response. 

“No, really it’s okay. Boba is payment enough.”

“Thank you, you’re literally a life saver.” Jaemin takes his hand away from Renjun’s shoulder and pulls his phone out of his back pocket, handing it to the smaller boy. “Go ahead and put your number in and I’ll text you later, yeah?” Renjun takes the phone in his hand and enters his phone number, when done he instinctively swipes up to go home as he starts to hand it back to the other. Doing so he catches a glimpse of Jaemin’s home screen and sees a picture of him and Jeno together- and Jaemin is kissing his cheek. Something in his stomach flips, and though he’s stupid for assuming things, as people are allowed to be friends and kiss each other’s cheeks, and just because people flirt with you when they’re drunk doesn’t determine the state of their sexual preferences, and Jaemin was some rando from a party and not a y/n fantasy, he still felt a hint of disappointment. 

“Yeah, for sure. Sounds good.” Renjun gives him a slightly forced smile and Jaemin places his phone back in his pocket. 

“Perfect. See ya!” With that he turned to leave, and Renjun watched through the stacks as Jaemin made his way to the staircase. Something catches his eye that brings that same flipping sensation to his stomach, and the marble hands and dark hair reach for Jaemin before pulling him tighter against his body. The pair share a quick kiss before heading down the stairs together. 

“Huh,” Renjun says to himself before looking around at the rest of the floor, thankful he was alone to process what just happened. 

And just as he was about to try and forget it a message appeared on his phone.

“ _ Jaemin :)”  _ was all it said. 


	2. Bagel Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renjun agrees to meet Jeno and Jaemin at the cafe on campus- not without having a meltdown about it beforehand.

Renjun ended his shift that day with a neverending sinking feeling in his stomach. Everything about the Jaemin and Jeno situation was confusing. They were strangers, but so... interesting. Just the way they acted the night before, even while drunk, was inviting and made him want to know them more. He was still trying to process whether Jaemin asking him to join them was just a joke and he was apologizing for the crude joke, or if Jaemin meant it and was apologizing for meaning it. With every book placed on the shelf for the last three hours, a new question emerged in his mind.

As Renjun left the library he checked his phone again, as he did many, many times during his shift to see if Jaemin had texted him. Still nothing. He shoved his phone back into his pocket, almost as if angry with the phone, and continued his walk back to his dorm. He hoped Donghyuck was awake, because honestly, he needed to tell him what was going on, but Hyuck was one to sleep for 24 hours without noticing.

Drudging his tired body up the two flights of stairs inside the dorm he finally made it to his room. As he went to unlock the door his phone began buzzing in his pocket- and whether out of spite or something else he decided to wait until he was inside to answer, just because. Once inside he shut the door behind him to see Hyuck sitting at his desk, playing the sims instead of working on the midterm paper he knows is due. Since he was distracted Renjun pulled his phone out, cheeks immediately burning red and heart rate increasing. It was Jaemin.  _ Answer it- no! Yes. No! _

__ “Uh- uh, hello?” Renjun answered timidly, his entire being ready to shut down as he particularly hated phone calls with strangers. At the sound of his voice Donghyuck turned around in his chair, thinking Renjun was talking to him but was proven wrong when he spotted the phone held to his ear.

“ _ Oh, you answered! Good, is it a bad time?”  _ Renjun could practically see Jaemin’s face in his mind's eye as he heard his voice.

“Yeah, I mean, no now is fine I just got home. What’s up?” Renjun looked over at Hyuck who was staring back at him with a confused and accusing expression.

“Who is that?” Hyuck whisper-yelled at him and Renjun just waved his hand in reply, signaling for him to shut up and wait.

“ _ Perfect, hey I know I said I would text you but honestly calling is just easier when making plans. Jeno and I are going to go to the Black Rock later tonight if you wanted to come, let me buy you some tea and we can get started on some Mandarin if you’re not busy? I know you just got off so I figured you’d be hungry.”  _ Each word that came from the other end of the phone had Renjun reeling. Was Jaemin that much of an extrovert as to call people out of the blue after having barely known them and asking them to hangout? What is this? The nineteen-sixties?

“Jeno? Will I be teaching him Mandarin too?” The question was lighthearted, as Renjun wasn’t one to make too big of a deal out of things, and it earned a laugh from the male on the other end.

“ _ No, no don’t worry he’s just there to eat. You won't even notice him.”  _ Renjun found that hard to believe. 

“Okay, yeah I can do that.” Without taking the time to consider how tired he was and how little he really knew the two, he agreed. Something in his brain must have broken the night before.

“ _ Great, see you there at… six thirty?”  _ Renjun glanced at the digital clock sitting on Hyuck’s nightstand, which read 4:15.

“Six thirty. Sounds good. Bye!” A hand came up to run through his hair as he hung up the phone, tossing it onto his bed before looking over at Donghyuck who was practically vibrating in his chair.

“Injun, who the hell was that?” Renjun never hung out with anybody besides Hyuck and on the occasion Hyuck’s family friend, Jisung, who was still in high school. Their friend circle was small. 

Taking a deep breath for emphasis and because he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop once he opened his mouth, Renjun composed himself briefly before finally giving his friend what he wanted to know. “Last night at the party while I was sitting on the steps these two guys came up to me and asked me to call them a cab and they were really hot and one of them asked me if I wanted to ‘join them’” he air quoted as he spoke, “and then I panicked and thankfully you called for me because I ran away and then today at the library one of the guys came up to me and apologized for being rude and asked me to teach him Mandarin and I agreed and I gave him my number and he just called me to see if I wanted to go to the Black Rock tonight with him and- I think his boyfriend but, not important- and I AGREED and now I have to actually GO and oh god Donghyuck I know I’ve been lonely since I broke up with Liz but my brain is on complete shut off mode and now I’m going around giving Chinese lessons to hot Korean boys for FREE.” He exhaled, feeling good to get out everything that had built up in the past few hours.

Donghyuck stared at him, his expression hardly changing until it broke into a giant grin.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Renjun began to pace slightly, catching a glimpse of his disheveled self in the mirror as Hyuck stood from his chair to come up behind him.

“Get in the shower, I will pick you out some clothes, and we’ll walk over together and everything will be fine.” Donghyuck gripped Renjun’s shoulders and gave him a slight push towards the door. 

“Hey- woah, woah wait a minute you are encouraging me to go meet with them? I thought as my best friend you’re supposed to advise me against it or like- tell me I don’t need hot people to be happy or something?” Though Renjun knew Hyuck was not that kind of best friend, he’d hoped just this once he’d be the reserved one. 

“Injun, get in the damn shower or I will hose you down outside. You’re meeting these guys.” Hyuck went around Renjun to the door, opening it up and gesturing for Renjun to leave. 

“I don’t even know them. Doesn’t this seem suspiciously quick?” Even as he was protesting, Renjun grabbed his shower bag and made his way to the door, knowing better than to not listen to Hyuck. 

“Maybe you don’t know them, but they clearly know you. They asked you of all people to call them a cab last night, came to your work on a day they must have  _ known  _ you’d be working, and one somehow magically needed help with his Mandarin homework in the middle of the semester and couldn’t be bothered to go to the student center?” Donghyuck looked at his friend in amazement as to how he’d been so blind. Jaemin was clearly zeroing in on him, and he had no idea how Jeno fit into that, but the excitement of it shrouded any worry as he looked back at Hyuck, the dots finally connecting. 

“I’m gonna go shower.” 

“That’s my boy!” Hyuck looked on in amusement as Renjun left the room, an exaggerated sigh of joy leaving him. “They grow up so fast.”

On his way to the dorm showers Renjun replayed everything that had happened the past few hours in his head, even letting the thoughts occupy his mind as he turned on the water and slipped into the steamy stall. Though part of him wanted to dismiss what Hyuck said, another part of him couldn’t deny how obviously right he was. Jaemin had known he worked at the library, was telling Jeno how much he liked him, knew when he’d be working at the library and was eerily confident that Renjun spoke Chinese well enough to teach him. Worst case scenario they were sex traffickers, and if that were the case maybe it’d be better to ask Hyuck to sit a few tables away and observe their first meeting. Best case scenario Jaemin was some weird threesome enthusiast and had a crush on Renjun and was just seeking out sex. Most obvious case scenario, he just wanted to learn some fucking Chinese.

After Renjun showered and dried himself off, pulling a clean pair of boxers and a t-shirt that he’d left in his shower bag on, he stared into the foggy mirrors at his distorted reflection. “我在做什么?” (Wǒ zài zuò shénme?) He released a sigh and ran his hands through his wet hair, suddenly painfully aware of his body. His shoulders were small, his hands were small, his stomach was barely toned from the small amounts of dancing he did in his free time. He didn’t think he was ugly, in fact he quite liked the way he looked, he just wasn’t sure if he looked how he was supposed to. Like Jeno looked, he thought. 

Finally he pulled himself away, not wanting to waste anymore time, and made his way back to his room. Once inside his eyes fixed upon the outfit options laid across both his and Donghyuck’s beds. He looked over at his friend with a questioning expression, receiving nothing but a grin in return.

Hyuck made his way over to his bed that had three of the six outfits laid out, gesturing as if to present them, like a prize on a game show. “Here, we have the classic light wash denim jeans, super ripped, mildly ripped, and then only slightly worn, each paired with a respective t-shirt and either denim jacket or flannel.” He then walked over to Renjun’s bed, emphasizing once again with a wave of his hand. “And here, three pairs of black jeans, also organized by level of rip, and with their own respective tops- HOWEVER,” he paused for effect, and Renjun just gave him a look. “No matter what dark outfit you pick it must be worn with the leather jacket I bought you.” Hyuck glanced around at the outfits once again before looking at Renjun with an expectant smile.

“I appreciate the effort but I’m literally just going for a tutoring lesson.” Hyuck didn’t budge at his words, and Renjun released a sigh at how excited his friend was, his eyes raking over the options in front of him. “I like the medium-ripped, light wash outfit.” 

“So no leather jacket?”

“No, Hyuck, no leather jacket.”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes but was clearly over it within seconds as he reached out for the outfit Renjun picked before tossing it to him. 

As Renjun changed his clothes Donghyuck was nice enough to put the outfits away that he’d gotten out, which made Renjun’s heart warm. The little things they did for each other was what made their friendship grow so quickly in just the two years they’d known each other. Donghyuck was from Brooklyn, born in South Korea but moved to America when he was young too. They bonded over that quickly, and soon found that nobody understood them quite like each other. Where Renjun was bitter Donghyuck was all smiles and jokes. Where Donghyuck was vulnerable, Renjun was strong. Donghyuck also introduced him to his friend, Jisung, and during his first year in a new city at a new school those two were exactly what he needed. Even if Jisung was basically like their son. 

Once Renjun was dressed he eyed himself in the mirror, Hyuck quickly hovering to knit pick at any imperfections or wrinkles. 

“Do I, you know, look okay?” Renjun couldn’t hide the expectancy in his voice, and didn’t really feel like he needed to, as Hyuck clearly knew what he wanted.

“You look great. I think they’re gonna love you.” The sound of the word ‘they’re’ coming from Hyuck’s mouth suddenly hit Renjun like a truck.  _ They’re. They. Two of them. _

“If I am actively pursuing a guy and his boyfriend what does that make me? Or am I getting ahead of myself for even asking?” The words escaped him faster than he had time to process them and within seconds all excitement he’d previously had drained out of him. Renjun had thought about being poly before, but never in practice. It first came up with his ex-girlfriend when she had a friend who was in a polyamourous relationship, and the thought intrigued Renjun, as he was sure it intrigued everybody. Being bisexual and poly always seemed strange, and he was just too lazy to think it through any further.

“I mean,” Donghyuck paused, taking a moment to lean back against the end of his bed as he looked at Renjun through his reflection in the mirror. “It doesn’t have to make you anything. Unless you want it to make you something.”

Renjun turned around, his arms crossing against his chest in an attempt to physically hold himself together. “What the hell does that mean?”

Hyuck laughed in response to Renjun’s tiny bitterness, and tilted his head as a reassuring expression softened his features. “It means that if you’re attracted to these guys, and if they  _ are  _ seeking you out, then that is all perfectly allowed and you’re allowed to reciprocate whatever energy they’re giving you.” Donghyuck stood up straight and made his way over to Renjun, resting both his hands on his shoulders. “Don’t think about it too much. Like you said, they’re strangers, so just take this as an opportunity to make them less strange.” 

Though Renjun was still ultimately confused, he gave Hyuck a small smile, accompanied by a short nod to show that he agreed. 

“Good. Now, are you ready?” Hyuck gave another signature grin and dropped his arms from Renjun’s shoulders, immediately making his way to the front door, opening it up with a grand gesture he seemed to be full of that evening.

“I guess so,” With a deep breath and a conscious attempt at relaxing his shoulders, Renjun exited the room swiftly, knowing that if he hesitated at all he’d text Jaemin an apology about not being able to make it. And he wanted to make it.

The pair left the building together and as they walked to the small cafe on campus Renjun found himself extremely grateful for Hyuck’s ability to talk at all times. Too many thoughts occupied his mind to formulate words to contribute to any sort of conversation, but he knew Hyuck didn’t mind. That was another thing they equalized each other on. Renjun could keep to himself when he wanted to and Donghyuck was happy enough to just have someone in the room to listen. 

As they approached the last crossing before reaching the cafe Renjun stopped abruptly, having to reach out and grab Hyuck’s arm to get him to notice.

“Wait,” Hyuck turned around as he felt Renjun grab his arm, staring at him in confusion.

“What? What’s wrong?” His eyes searched Renjun’s features for an answer but were met with nothing.

“Will you go in with me? Not like- with me, but maybe come in after me. Sit at a table on the other side of the room?” Renjun looked at Hyuck with pleading eyes, but he definitely didn’t have to to get him to agree.

“Oh good, you did ask, cause I already invited Jisung to keep me company.” That was that- he continued walking, leaving Renjun to process before rushing to catch up to him.

“You invited a CHILD to come watch me meet up with two guys?” Renjun could hardly believe his own words.

“First of all, not a child, he’s eighteen. Second of all, we would’ve told him eventually and you know that. Third of all, yes.” Renjun’s mouth hung open at Hyuck’s casual response, but didn’t press any further as he couldn’t blame him for his own predictability. 

Once the pair were just a few feet away from the building they stopped together, Hyuck turned to examine Renjun from head to toe. He made a point to mindlessly straighten his denim jacket and adjust the collar of his t-shirt before taking a step back and looking on with a proud expression. “My baby is ready.” Renjun rolled his eyes at this but he appreciated the support, and he knew Hyuck understood that.

“Okay, uhm, it’s 6:25, I should go in.” Renjun took a quick breath and straightened his shoulders before giving Donghyuck a nod and walking past him towards the entrance. 

His heart was beating in his ears and his palms became clammy, but he just kept walking, trying to disillusion himself of any preconceived expectations he might have. He knew that his sliver of hope for the two guys being interested in him was stupid, and he should see this simply as an opportunity to make friends and help someone out. However no matter how loud that voice was there was always that smaller, more piercing voice that told him to keep his options open. 

Before he knew it his hand was on the door, pulling it open as he pushed himself inside. The cool air from the vent above him provided some relief to his reddened ears, and he looked around for a moment before his eyes caught onto the same icy hair that had occupied his mind all day. 

His legs willed him forward as his eyes rested on every curve and angle of the two guys sitting at the booth. The room smelled of coffee and something cheesy crisping in an oven. The walls were covered in different vintage looking signs and had various items of school spirit. And in the center of it all, there was them. Jeno had black circle glasses on that softened his features, and his broad shoulders were covered comfortably by a dark green flannel shirt, with a white t-shirt underneath. Jaemin had changed his clothes from the library earlier, now dressed in a soft pullover sweater that was tucked in to blue jeans. They both looked drastically different to when Renjun first saw them, and while processing the almost wholesome image they presented he found he was already standing at the table.

“Oh, hey Renjun. Take a seat.” Renjun looked down at Jeno as he spoke, realizing that he was gesturing to the booth opposite them before quickly sitting himself down on the squishy plastic. Jaemin had a laptop placed in front of him which he peeked over to give Renjun a warm smile. 

“My savior has arrived. Go ahead and order anything you want, it’s on me.” Jaemin gave him a wink that turned every nerve-ending on Renjun’s body into live wire- but he hid that with a simple nod. He glanced down to see that the pair were already drinking something. Jeno had a milk tea with boba pearls and Jaemin had a cup of what appeared to be iced tar.  _ Guess coffee is Jaemin’s thing,  _ he thought to himself.

“So, what exactly do you need help with?” Renjun found his words came easily, despite his nervousness he was always good at being professional, attractiveness level was never a determining factor in this. 

“Straight to business then,” a small chuckle left Jaemin and he lowered his laptop screen slightly to more easily look at the smaller boy. “Basically, there are these things I have to do online where we learn a course and then theres a quiz at the end-”

“It’s so stupid,” Jeno chimed in.

“Yes, the quiz is all done through responding and it tells you whether or not you passed based on your pronunciation and stuff and I ALWAYS get them wrong. Plus then there’s the fact of remembering and writing the characters which seems to be somehow impossible for me.” As Jaemin spoke Renjun noticed the way his muscles shifted when he turned his neck, and admired the way he seemed to speak with his hands when he was invested in something, like watching a cartoon character. 

“So pronunciation and writing?”

“Yeah and general conversation- ya know, for the final.” Jaemin smiled once again, that same expectant smile that made Renjun wonder what exactly he was expecting from it.

“Okay. I can do that- I think.”

“I have full faith in you.” Jeno once again chimed in, and honestly, Renjun didn’t mind, but his attention was quickly pulled away when the waitress brought a basket of fries and what appeared to be a bagel sandwich and placed both in front of Jeno before turning to Renjun, pulling the little notepad from her pocket.

“Oh, Renjun! Hi!” Her voice seemed a few octaves too high and Renjun saw Jaemin physically cringe out of the corner of his eye. The girl was from one of his art classes, but he admittedly didn’t remember her name.

“Oh, hey uh… 

“Jessica.”

“Right, yeah… didn’t know you worked here.” That was true. He’d been there plenty of times and had never seen her there before.

“Just started! It’s actually-”

“Yeah I think he’s ready to order,” Jaemin cut her off, his tone impatient and unlike his usual demeanor.

“Oh, right.” The girl turned her body slightly to face Renjun completely, and he gave her a somewhat apologetic smile. “What can I get for you?”

“Um, I’ll have a thai tea with boba, please.” Renjun was going to avoid ordering food, as his trait of hating inconveniencing others was rising to the surface. 

“And a Jalapeño bagel with regular cream cheese.” His usual order was thrown into the open air but not from his own voice. He turned and looked at Jaemin who just kept his eyes on Jessica, practically boring into her.

“Okay. Coming right up! Bye, Renjun.” With that she finally left.

“How did you know that?” Donghyuck’s previous reminders of Jaemin and Jeno seeking him out was suddenly a very loud and unavoidable truth.

“We are always in here at the same time. I sit in the booths over there, with Jeno.” Renjun looked to where he pointed and sure enough, there was a set of booths tucked into the farthest reaches of the room, and there happened to be sitting Donghyuck, with the emo looking Jisung adorned in black from head to toe. Teenagers.

Renjun made eye contact with Hyuck and gave him as subtle of a smile as he could before turning back to Jaemin. Admittedly, his explanation made sense. One time Renjun memorized a recipe for a girls favorite food in middle school just because he thought she was pretty-  _ wait. _

__ “I’ve never seen you here before, that’s crazy.”

“Because you always sit by the big windows.” Jeno looked up from his half eaten bagel sandwich that Renjun almost couldn’t believe he was devouring so fast, and he couldn’t help the amused look that played on his features. Jeno was painfully cute with his glasses, and his eye smile was something that seemed only possible in animation.

Jaemin straightened slightly in his seat, a nervous laughter leaving him as he began to explain. “I know this probably makes us sound like creepy stalkers,”

“No, really?” The reply was playful, because in a way, Renjun understood.

“But, we really just noticed you, that's all.” Jaemin finished his thought, and Renjun nodded in response, his hand reaching out to grab the open notebook sitting next to Jaemin’s laptop, wanting to move on to avoid making the situation any more awkward for anyone.

Between a ruffle of papers Renjun could’ve sworn he heard a “It was hard not to notice him,” being mumbled from Jeno, but he chose to ignore it.

“Okay, Mandarin is actually really easy when you break it down,” Renjun began his lesson, and the music around them seemed to drown out everyone else as they worked, with the occasional comment from Jeno between bites of his fries. Renjun reluctantly ate his bagel that came later, and Jaemin didn’t give Jessica a moment to talk before he was pulling Renjun back into a question about all the ‘shi’s’ in Mandarin. Every now and then Renjun would look over to see Hyuck still sitting in the booths, and he realized that maybe he didn’t need to bring him at all. 

Hours passed in what felt like no time at all, and the fading sunlight outside turned to complete darkness. After successfully marking up every piece of homework and doing a few recordings on Jaemin’s phone for him to listen to later, they decided they were done for the evening.

“Jaem, I’m tired.” The quiet Jeno lifted his head from it’s spot nestled on his arms and leaned back against the booth, his eyes clearly droopy.

“Okay little one we will go home,” Jaemin spoke in his teacher-like voice that Renjun had come accustomed to in the few hours they’d spent together, and god was it cute. “Thank you, Renjun. I will let you know when I get my quiz results from last week and we can unpack that train wreck.”

“Can’t wait,” Renjun chuckled and straightened his shoulders, feeling the effects of sitting in the booth just a little too long.

“If you wanted, too, we could just, hangout, some time.” The phrase came in parts from Jeno and with each syllable Renjun’s smile grew.

“Oh, c’mon Jeno I don’t think the poor guy wants-”

“No,” this time it was Renjun who cut them off. “I’d like that.” Jaemin turned to look at him at his words and a gentle smile lit up his already bright features.

“Okay, I’ll call you.” With that the two got up from their seats, and Renjun crawled out of his booth seat to stand with them. The three of them talked easily as they all left the restaurant, but Renjun paused when they reached the sidewalk.

“Do you want us to walk you home?” Jeno asked sweetly, and though Renjun was tempted to accept the offer, he knew Hyuck needed to know everything immediately. 

“Thank you for offering but my roommate should be here any minute.”

“Okay, maybe next time. Bye Renjun!” And they left.

Renjun leaned back on his heels and stuffed his hands into his pockets, watching as they disappeared around the corner before being bombarded by the full force of a grown man's body colliding with his.

“Oh my god, Injunnie! Tell me all about it! Right now!” Donghyuck’s voice pierced his ears and Renjun held his hands up as if to surrender, looking over at Jisung as if to say ‘this guy’, before breaking into a smile.

“Okay, losers, I’ll tell you about it on the walk home. Jisung, you staying the night?”

“Uh, obviously.” The trio all laughed and headed down the sidewalk together, the cool air capturing every detail that Renjun could muster.

“So, it started like this-”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this is being received well by people! It's so much fun to write! Just remember that I am writing about au characters and do not endorse intense "real-life" shipping of idols that could be potentially damaging!! but, please continue to enjoy!! (also chenle and mark are coming soon don’t worry,,, along with some other members :))))


	3. Something About Renjun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renjun finds himself at Jaemin and Jeno's apartment.

Jisung, Donghyuck, and Renjun made their way back to the dorm in no time at all. Every detail being spilled from Renjun to his two best friends. Once they were inside they all got into comfortable clothes- Jisung having to borrow something of Hyuck’s- and were devouring snacks on the two beds as they continued to talk.

“So, they basically admitted to stalking you?” Jisung asked with a mouth full of chips.

“No! I mean- just that they… watched me? I guess? I don't know, I glossed over the topic because I didn’t want to make him feel weird because, like, who doesn’t people-watch?” Renjun tried to explain in a way that wouldn’t sound like he’d be willing to defend stalkers. He was pretty good at identifying when things were off, and at the present moment things seemed perfectly alright.

“This is true. Renjun and I go to the sub strictly to people-watch.” 

“And we have favorites.”

Jisung looked between the two older boys, his eyebrows raised in judgement. “Wow, the words of lonely, single college boys.”

Renjun scoffed and rolled his eyes, shoving Jisung lightly. “Oh and like your life is so much more fun and amazing than ours?”

“Actually, it kind of is.” Renjun and Hyuck looked at each other at Jisung’s words before staring back at the younger boy.

“Is there something you’re not telling us, Park Jisung?” Hyuck bore his eyes into Jisung, giving him a look that could crack an egg. Jisung was an excellent liar, and mischievous, and all around absolutely ruthless, but nobody could deny Hyuck.

“No! Not… something.”

“SOMEONE?!” Renjun and Hyuck yell in unison before Hyuck is jumping off his bed to tackle Jisung onto Renjun’s bed.

“Name. Name. Name. NAME!” Hyuck said over and over again, mindlessly and erratically grabbing at Jisung.

“OKAY THEN GET OFF ME.” Jisung yelled out as he kicked Hyuck, flinging him off the bed and onto the ground, making a loud thud.

“What the hell, Jisung!” Hyuck rolled around on the ground for a bit, but Renjun had already forgotten about him as he was turning to face the youngest.

“Okay, kiddo, spill it.”

Jisung groaned and rubbed at his face, “you guys are so annoying.”

“Just tell us or I’m telling your mom that you go to college parties with us.” Hyuck said from the floor, now propped up on his knees.

“Wouldn’t that just- nevermind not worth arguing.” Jisung held his hands up as if to brush the comment off and took a quick breath. “His name is Chenle. He’s in the music program at my school.” 

“He’s chinese?” Renjun asked with a tinge of pride. 

“Why do we always attract the gay Chinese guys, huh?” Hyuck chuckled and playfully hit Jisungs shoulder, but was met with a cold glare from the younger. 

“And why do I always attract the gay, ANNOYING Korean guys?” Renjun asked before the depth of his seemingly playful question set in. Damn. He really did. 

“Okay that’s enough of this let’s-” Jisung was cut off, causing his signature, frustrated pout to rest on his features.

“No no no, I let you sit in and watch hours of me talking to two guys, the least you could do is tell us about him.” Renjun pulled out a chip from the bag laying on the bed, giving Jisung an expectant expression.

“Yeah, like, what does he look like? Is he tall? Not tall?” Hyuck was crawling back onto his bed as he spoke, bringing a packet of fruit snacks with him as he did.

“He’s not… tall tall. A few inches shorter than me. His hair is blonde right now. He’s an amazing singer. He’s… rich. Like, disgustingly so.” 

“From what?” Renjun asked, mouth full of chip. 

“His dad is some concert pianist in China, and his grandpa is, like, one of the 20 richest people there.” Jisung looked up to see the two older boys looking at him stunned. “I had to google this, mind you, I was just as shocked. He told me he was raised here for some reason, but I felt something was off so I took matters into my own hands.”

“Wait, does he know that you know?” Hyuck pressed on.

“Absolutely not. I think that’d just make him uncomfortable, you know? He obviously lied for a reason.” Jisung was suddenly a bit serious, which caught Renjun and Hyuck a bit off guard as he hated talking about serious things.

“How long have you been seeing this guy?” The question came from Renjun out of genuine curiosity, any ideas of teasing Jisung now gone at his change of demeanor.

“We aren’t exactly- we aren’t  _ seeing  _ each other but we, you know, see each other.” Jisung nodded slightly as if that explained it all.

The pair were silent.

“Yeah sorry my boomer brain has no idea what that means, baby.” Hyuck finally spoke up, and Renjun was quick to add to the confusion.

“I’m with Hyuck on that one, explain please.”

“Oh my g- okay.” A huff escaped the younger boy, clearly frustrated with all the questions being thrown his way, and his friends lack of understanding despite only having a two year difference. “I don’t know we… hang out, I guess. See movies and get food. Hold hands sometimes.”

“Have you kissed him?” Jisung shot another glare over at Hyuck at his question.

“Hyuck, shut up.”

“Okay fair enough.”

The night continued on in the same way for a few hours. The boys laughing and catching up as much as they could before eventually passing out. Jisung was sprawled over Renjun like a giant baby, and Hyuck had fallen asleep with a fruit snack still in his hand.

_ 2 Weeks, 5 Days Later _

“Yes, Jaemin, I’m sure you did fine on your midterm.” A bright looking Renjun sat at a table outside the same cafe they’d come to just a few weeks prior. Since then the three of them had hung out almost every single day. Renjun had shown them his dorm, Jaemin and Jeno took him to their apartment- he even passed out on the couch one night, but found himself awake in a warm bed with the curtains drawn. They’d gotten to the point where they would hold hands sometimes, and Jeno would mindlessly play with Renjun’s hair while he was teaching Jaemin vocabulary. Jaemin also eventually admitted to Jeno being his boyfriend, but was also very vocal about how much they enjoyed Renjun being around. To say they were closer was an understatement, and to say Renjun wasn’t smitten would’ve been a full on lie.

“Babe, c'mon, you and Renjun stayed up for hours studying. You were having full conversations!” Jeno reached a hand out to rest on top of Jaemin’s, and Renjun naturally followed suit, the two of them comforting the sullen looking boy. 

“Yeah, I know, I know.” He sighed in defeat, his tired eyes looking up to stare at Renjun and Jeno, causing a slight smile to curve on his lips. “Just the fact that we’re getting our results back today is making me overthink.”

The sun was warming them as they spoke, but the warmth they felt between them seemed to be present regardless. Something about the three of them together just made sense, and it was almost as if they were in their own little world when they were together. 

“Do you want to go back to your guys’ place? It’s finally spring break and I think we’ve earned some doordash and horror movies.” Renjun offered with a soft smile, Jaemin only perking up at the idea before responding with a quick nod. 

“Plus then no matter what score you get you can’t think about it too much when you’re shoving food into your face.” Jeno added with a grin, the same grin that turned his eyes into little crescents and had Renjun melting into his seat. 

“Okay then let’s go because boy am I tired of being here.” A suddenly alert Jaemin stood quickly from his seat, pulling Jeno up with him as he did. As if on command, Renjun quickly followed suit, walking around the table to join the other two. As they moved off the cafe patio and onto the sidewalk Renjun settled between the two taller boys, as he usually did.

“Hey, Renjun!” An unfortunately familiar voice called from behind them and the three boys turned around. The girl from Renjun’s class was waving them down, her apron gone and hair done up in a messy ponytail- she must’ve just gotten off.

“Jessica, I thought we were gonna miss you.” Jaemin said in his sweet voice, but this time it was laced with something sharp.

“I couldn’t let Renjun go for spring break without saying goodbye!” The girl said as she approached the trio. Renjun found his frame being drowned out by two shoulders positioning themselves just the slightest bit in front of him. Jeno and Jaemin were practically caging him in. “Uh, can I talk to you, Renjun?” She asked a bit timidly, clearly catching onto the weird vibes the other boys were giving off.

“Yeah?” It wasn’t quite an answer, as he didn’t even know if he really could, seeing as he was fenced in.

“Like, privately maybe?” A slight smile played on Jessica's features that had Jaemin’s blood boiling, and Jeno’s arms came up to passively cross against his chest.

“Uh-” Renjun looked up at Jeno, seeing how tight his jaw was set before looking at Jaemin, who seemed just as tense. “Okay.” Renjun slowly poked himself through the little wall of testosterone that they had built around him and followed Jessica over to the other set of tables. Renjun realized as he stood in front of her that he’d never really looked at her before. She had long brown hair that fell down her shoulders even when pulled up, and she was shorter than him which he always appreciated in a person.

“Your friends don’t like me very much.” She started with a small laugh, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 

“No, no they’re just- weird.” Renjun glanced over at his two companions and could see something in their eyes as they stood stiff next to each other that sent chills down his spine.  _ Those jealous fuckers. _

__ “Okay, well good because I was hoping maybe we could hangout over spring break?” The question came at him like those puffs of air they force you to endure at the eye doctor. Sudden and unpleasant. Renjun had barely known the girl, and didn’t qualify random cafe or class banter as substantial interaction. What was with him and attracting extroverts?

“Oh,” A hand came up to rub at the back of his neck nervously, trying to fill the space as he grasped for an explanation- any explanation.

“I can give you my number, if you want?” Jessica was pulling out her phone and Renjun was completely frozen in place. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but he knew better than to lie. He took a deep breath, ready to reject her when he felt a strong arm wrap around his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Jessica, but we are actually going to be very busy over spring break.” It was Jeno. His usual soothing voice caused Renjun’s blood pressure to spike to possibly dangerous levels.

“Oh- I thought- aren’t you and Jaemin together?” The question caught both of them off guard, and she looked past the two boys standing in front of her to make eye contact with Jaemin, who was just scowling at her. 

“I’m- what does that have to do with me saying we’re busy?” Jeno asked with a genuine curiosity that almost hurt Renjun to listen to out of the sheer ridiculousness of the whole situation.

“Well I only went after Renjun because I thought he was single.” Jessica furrowed her brows, her arms folding across her chest as she waited for an explanation she for some reason felt owed. Jeno stared back at her with a look Renjun could only describe as disgust.

“I am.” Renjun, gently shrugged off Jeno’s arm from his shoulders, his usual self sufficient demeanor suddenly setting in as he made a short exhale of breath. “Look, Jessica I’m really not interested at the current moment, and I don’t think it’s very appropriate to assume things about strangers.” Renjun didn’t bother to wait for a response as he reached down for Jeno’s hand before leading him towards Jaemin, taking his hand in his other free one. The three of them walked off and waited until they were hidden around the corner before bursting out laughing.

“Huang Renjun I think you just signed that girls withdrawal letter.” Jaemin choked out between laughs, grabbing at his side as he steadied himself against Renjun’s frame.

“Jesus christ what a psycho. Who just- says that?” Jeno shook his head slightly, a few bouts of laughter coming over him as he calmed down from the awkward ordeal.

“No, no, she was just... brave. We can’t call women psychos when they act on things they want.” Renjun rubbed at his eyes, a few chuckles escaping him from sheer relief.

“Yes, you’re right. Our smart boy.” Jaemin’s sudden words broke any hopes Renjun had of calming himself down, and worked only to push him into a confusion of a different kind.

“Okay guys, lets go.” Jeno wrapped his arms around both Jaemin and Renjun before continuing down the sidewalk.

The walk to their apartment was fairly quick, and Renjun knew it well at this point. Around the corner from the cafe, down three streets, left, keep going, then on your right at the end of the street. Once they’d arrived they walked to the front door, a huddled mass, and Jeno went ahead to unlock it before gesturing for the two other boys to enter first.

“Mm, thank you my love.” Jaemin reached in for a quick peck on Jeno’s cheek before entering, and Renjun tried to avert his gaze to avoid the pang in his heart from the small action. That past week, after Jaemin told Renjun the truth about him and Jeno a week prior, seeing them interact in slightly more romantic and loving ways was slight torture. Jaemin tried not to be too obvious about it he was sure, but everytime the pair touched Renjun’s skin would set ablaze, wanting so badly to be included. The past two weeks had definitely brought them closer, but there was something still holding all three of them back.

Once all three were inside Jaemin immediately went for the couch, plopping down onto it before leaning his head against the back cushion, sprawling his limbs out everywhere. Jeno went into the kitchen and was scrolling through his phone for food to order.

“Renjun, babe, could you please take my phone away from me? If I stare at my grade postings any longer I’m probably going to puke.” A smile of sympathy and adoration crept onto Renjun’s features as he nodded in response, stepping closer to Jaemin before reaching down to grab his phone from his grasp. As he did, the younger boy grabbed his arm, pulling him down onto his lap. A sound of surprise escaped Renjun as he fell clumsily onto him, his cheeks immediately heating up from the close contact.

“Hey, what are you doing?” The question was meant to come out playful and teasing, but Renjun couldn’t deny the fact that he probably sounded like a child who lost their mother in the mall- absolutely terrified. 

“Is this okay?” Jaemin asked in his cute voice as he brushed the hanging bits of hair from Renjun’s eyes. “Nana just needs to hug for a second.” The sweet nickname and long arms wrapping around Renjun’s frame had every alarm in his head ringing. His heart was close to escaping the confines of his chest, and his body tried it’s absolute best to relax in the other boy’s hold. He was sure he was falling apart at the seams.

“Okay, I ordered the pizzas.” Jeno came in from the kitchen and as his eyes lifted from his phone he broke into the sweetest smile Renjun had ever seen. Without wasting a single moment, Jeno made his way to the couch and sat next to Jaemin, his arm coming up to rest on the back of it. Something came over Renjun that he couldn’t find the braincells to stop as he lifted his legs to rest on Jeno’s lap. Now sprawled over the two boys he felt the slightest bit better, but was put right back into panic mode as Jeno’s free hand mindlessly rested on his thigh.

“I don’t think I can relax until I get my score.” Jaemin  _ pouted,  _ an actual pout, and rested his chin on Renjun’s shoulder.

“I’m sure you’ll get the notification s-” Jaemin’s phone buzzed in Renjun’s hand and the two other boys stared at him. Talk about timing.

“Do you want me to…?” 

“Look at it for me.” Jaemin groaned and threw his head back, eyes squeezing shut in dread.

Renjun unlocked his phone- his password was Jeno’s birthday- and opened the grades app for their school. He clicked the new notification box and let his eyes scan the screen before a grin illuminated his features. He looked up at Jeno who caught on that it was good news, but Jaemin still had his eyes turned up to the ceiling. “Aw, Jaem…” Renjun trailed off, a small attempt to tease him.

“Fuck. What’d I get?” Jaemin lifted his head with a whine and looked at Renjun with sad eyes. 

“Well,” Renjun reached a hand up to rest on his shoulder, looking at him apologetically. “You got a 98.” 

Jaemin seemed to go through the 5 stages of grief right in front of his eyes, his features twisting and turning before settling on a bright smile that Renjun swore made the room get brighter.

“Huang Renjun you almost gave me a heart attack.” He spoke with so much relief Renjun thought he might burst as he attacked him in an excited hug. “Oh Injunnie I could kiss you,” he muttered into the smaller boy's shoulder, the words not even registering as they left him- but they registered for Renjun. In fact he heard the words loud and clear, and his heart fell directly to his stomach as he froze in the silver haired boy's grasp. 

“See, babe, I told you it’d be fine.” Jeno leaned closer with a grin, and as Jaemin lifted his face from the confines of Renjun’s shirt, planted a fleeting kiss on his boyfriend's lips. Their mouths were agonizingly close to Renjun’s as they pulled apart, and Renjun thought he might die then and there. The energy in the room suddenly switched from celebratory to something else, and none of them could stop themselves from eyeing each other's lips as they could feel their warm breath on their cheeks. “Thanks to Renjun you did just fine.” Jeno finally broke some of the silence, but the three of them sat still, waiting. Waiting for someone to break the suffocating tension. Waiting for someone to admit that since the night of the party they have all been head over heels for each other. Waiting for some relief from the aching feeling they all got when they were together but not  _ together _ . Waiting for someone to admit this was what they wanted.

All of that came toppling down on top of them though as Renjun’s phone began buzzing in his back pocket, startling him enough to stand from Jaemin’s lap. His legs were practically jelly as he took a few steps away from the couch, as if physically distancing himself from the previous tension, and pulled his phone from his back pocket. He looked at the screen in slight frustration- it was Hyuck.

“Can I help you?” Renjun didn’t mean to have such a biting tone, but he couldn’t deny that he was a bit annoyed at being interrupted.

“ _ Uhm- Hi, Hyuck. It’s lovely to hear from you, Hyuck. I’m not dead in a ditch somewhere, Hyuck. _ ” The voice on the other end of the line was dripping with sarcasm, and Renjun felt a pang of guilt. As he turned around to check and see what Jaemin and Jeno were doing in the aftermath of their moment, Jaemin was quickly walking past Renjun towards the bathroom. Jeno looked up at Renjun with a slight chuckle before turning his head down to look at his phone. 

“I’m sorry, Hyuck, I completely forgot to text you that I wasn’t coming home.” Jeno’s eyes flicked up at his words and Renjun quickly tried to back track, not wanting it to sound like he invited himself (but that’s not at all what Jeno was concerned about). “I-I mean I might not be home until later, or something. I’ll let you know.”

“ _ Are you with them?”  _ Hyuck asked, his voice suddenly less angry and more teasing.

“Uh, yes, I am.” A laugh came from the other end.

“ _ Okay, Injun, well have fun then, but please just text me if you’re not gonna be home on time, okay _ ?” Renjun’s heart broke a bit at the sentiment, as he knew Hyuck got scared when Renjun was alone, especially in New York, and was always one to worry about people.

“Okay, I promise.”

“ _ I love youuu, Injunnieeee _ ,” Hyuck sing-songed on the other end and Renjun just laughed, shaking his head.

“I love you too, pabo. Bye.” He mumbled his response begrudgingly before hanging up the phone and shoving it into his back pocket. Renjun exhaled and took a quick breath to compose himself before making his way back over to the couch and sitting next to Jeno, leaving a bit of space between them.

“Was that your friend?” Jeno asked as he set his phone down on his lap to look up at Renjun.

“Yeah, I forgot to tell him I wasn’t coming home after class and he got a bit worried.” Renjun shrugged his shoulders, a light laugh escaping him as he met eyes with Jeno.

“Good. I’m glad you have a friend that looks out for you.” His tone was entirely serious, which Renjun couldn’t tell if that made it better or worse. Regardless, the statement caused his heart to skip a beat- maybe several. 

“Yeah- yeah he’s the best.” The pair kept eye contact for a few moments, and Renjun could’ve sworn he saw the dark haired boy lean just the slightest bit forward. “Where’d Jaemin go?”

“Bathroom.” Was all he said before returning back to his phone, any thought Renjun previously had of Jeno wanting to be closer suddenly wiped from his mind.

As he sat there waiting for Jaemin to return, a million thoughts ran through his mind. He wanted something to happen, and despite Jaemin and Jeno’s confidence when they first met he felt like they were stuck.

Maybe he needed to take matters into his own hands. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! I Hope everyone is enjoying so far!! I just wanted to say that I am considering writing some nsfw stuff but if I do they will be entirely skippable and separate chapters so that if that's not your thing you can just skip those chapters and continue on with your day! Anyways, please let me know what you think so far!


	4. The Jealousy Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeno thinks this is the end for the three of them, while Jisung thinks Chenle is his beginning.

More than a few moments had passed since Jaemin had left and Renjun was left in silence with Jeno. The silence was a bit deafening, and Renjun began to wonder if he had done something wrong. Just as Renjun was about to bring it up, Jeno stood up from the couch, shoving his phone into his back pocket and heading in the same direction Jaemin had disappeared to.

“I’m gonna check on Jaem,” was all he said.

Renjun was then really left alone, a soft groan leaving him as he folded in on himself, his knees coming up to his chest before resting his chin on them. Everything was going just fine, until suddenly it wasn’t, and Renjun couldn’t quite place on the exact moment that changed. Was it his fault? Did he ruin the mood? Was Jeno really leaning in for a kiss and he denied him? Why’d Jaemin run away?

_ Meanwhile… _

“Phone buzzed a little too close for comfort?” A small chuckle emerged from Jeno as he watched Jaemin pat his face dry after having splashed cold water on it.

“You try having that boy in your lap.” The comment was harmless, but it reminded Jeno of just a few moments earlier, when he tried to lean in to see if Renjun would lean too, but instead he was asked about Jaemin. 

“Yeah, I don’t think that will happen.” 

“What? What are you talking about?” Jaemin’s eyebrows furrowed in question as he hung the towel up on the rack. 

“When you ran away I kind of- you know- tried to see if he’d kiss me.”

“Why? Without me?” Admittedly Jaemin knew if this were to continue Renjun and Jeno would be alone together sometimes, but before they even had a chance to kiss, Jaemin felt a bit hurt that Jeno would make a move without him.

“Well, don't be jealous he clearly likes you more.”

“Excuse me?” 

“He’s all over you, and you get along better than I do-”

“You’re not gonna do this now. Seriously? You ASKED me to approach him. You wanted me to talk to him!” Jaemin was mad now. He didn’t like being accused of things, and he especially didn’t like his boyfriend accusing him of things when they were supposed to be in it together. 

“Oh so it’s my fault? I forced you?” Jeno spat out. He knew the argument was petty, and extremely pointless, but his jealousy was getting the best of him and he just couldn’t stop himself. “If you didn’t want this you could’ve just said so.”

“You know that’s not what I’m-”

“No, no by all means we can drop this now. Or, better yet, have him.” Those were the words he knew Jaemin would least likely want to hear, even though he didn’t mean them in the slightest. He was hurt, and wanted to hurt. 

“Jeno, don’t.”

Renjun sat wide eyed on the couch, still holding onto his knees for dear life as Jeno came storming out of the hallway.

“I’m gonna go get us some drinks. I’ll be back,” he muttered to Renjun before quickly making his way out the door, slamming it behind him.

“Jeno!” Jaemin tried to call for him as he emerged from the hallway but he was already gone, earning a groan of frustration from him as he tugged at his hair. “Jesus christ.” A huff escaped him in an attempt to calm himself as he looked over at Renjun, still sat motionless on the couch.

“I- did you… hear all that?”

“If you didn’t want me to, then no.” His voice was gentle, feeling like if he moved too fast Jaemin might fall into a million pieces.

“I’m sorry, Renjun. If you want to go I understand. We understand.” The offer to leave was about more than just from the uncomfortable fight. Jaemin knew Renjun wasn’t stupid, and he knew the boy saw the way he and Jeno would light up when he was around. He knew Renjun knew exactly what they wanted and why they wanted it and for how long. He just wasn’t sure if Renjun wanted them back. There was something unspoken but deafeningly loud about his offer.  _ You can go, and you don’t have to come back. _

“Jaemin, I don’t think now is a good time to just… ignore what’s been going on.” Renjun slowly lowered his legs, willing himself to stand from the couch and hesitantly make his way to where Jaemin was standing in the middle of the room. “Or, at least what I think has been going on.”

“And, from your perspective, what has been going on?” The question came with a lingering hope that maybe, finally, Renjun would tell them what he was thinking. 

“Well, what happened was nearly three weeks ago a guy and his boyfriend hit on me while drunk at a party. What I also know happened was that when they asked if I wanted to join them I-“ he paused, his cheeks flushing red but his stubbornness forcing him to continue. “I wanted to say yes. Then the guy with the beautiful silver hair came up to me at work and took my number. Then he brought his boyfriend when I went to tutor him for his Mandarin class, and from that moment forward I have been waiting for you guys to keep that confident energy you had in the beginning but I guess it’s my turn now.”

Jaemin stared in awe, unsure of whether to laugh or cry from relief, but opted for silence instead, not wanting to interrupt Renjun for anything. 

“After that day at the cafe, or two weeks ago when we went walking in the park and got lost on the subway home, or last week when you and Jeno brought me food at work for the first time, I have been wanting to do nothing more than tell you- ideally both of you- that I like you. And no, you can’t ‘have me’ as Jeno so eloquently put. It’s both of you, or neither of you.” 

Jaemin blinked. Blinked again. He did mental gymnastics six times over to process the words coming from the boys mouth, and cursed himself for hearing them without Jeno. He knew his boyfriend would be back, and soon, as the bodega was quite literally right below their apartment. Jaemin wanted so badly to pull Renjun closer, kiss him like his life depended on it, but he knew it wouldn’t be the same without Jeno to catch his lips as soon as he went to take a breath. 

The lack of response made a lump form in Renjun’s throat.  _ Oh no. _ “Uh-“

“No, I mean, yes. I heard you. God I- I heard everything you said.” Jaemin reached his hands out, gripping onto Renjun’s shoulders before pulling him closer and leaning down to place their foreheads together. “I want nothing more than to ruin your perfect lips right now, but Jeno,”

“I know. I did actually hear.” That small admittance earned a chuckle from Jaemin, who desperately brushed his nose against the smaller boys to provide some relief to the intense need to be close to him. “I have an idea.”

_ 873 Concord St. Downtown Brooklyn _

Jisung sat on the stoop of his house, watching as his classmates strolled by from his school just down the street. Most of them had instruments or were carrying stereos to go and dance on the street for some change. Going to an arts school meant most people were either entirely obsessed with their craft or just really dull and rich. Jisung liked to think he was neither. He just liked to dance (and sing, but nobody was allowed to know that). Since he got out early he always waited on his stoop for a certain blonde haired boy to stroll by and see him. He’d offer Jisung some gum, and position himself next to him before pulling his phone out and handing Jisung one of his air pods to show him the song he was working on and how far it got. Jisung could see it in his mind's eye, and it was the best part of his day. So he waited. 

And waited. 

And waited. 

Until finally that high pitched laugh that he’d grown so warm to hit his ears, and he looked up to see Chenle coming his way with a guy next to him. They were laughing together, and Jisung couldn’t describe the feeling he felt when he saw the scene unfold. The stranger had soft brown hair, and didn’t look too much older than them, if at all. When the pair approached the steps Chenle was holding his sides from laughing so much, but regardless he stopped when he saw Jisung. 

“Ah, Park Jisung, you waited!”  _ Of course I did. _ He thought to himself. “Sorry I took longer than usual. This is Mark, he’s one of the mentors.”  _ Mentors? Good. At least he was older.  _ “The youngest one they’ve ever had!”  _ Oh. _

“Yeah yeah, it’s not that exciting. Anyways, Chenle, thanks for the tips, I’ll see you after spring break.” Mark gave Jisung a warm smile and waved a goodbye before continuing on down the street. 

“Bye, Mark!” Chenle was grinning, and giggly.  _ I make him giggle too.  _

“Hey, man.” Jisung’s mood was a bit dampened as he stood from the steps, and maybe calling Chenle ‘man’ was a dead giveaway of that. 

“Uh, hey, bro?” Chenle laughed it off though, something he was good at. His hand reached down and grabbed Jisung’s easily, completely moving on from the slightly awkward moment to drag him into his own home. “C’mon, it’s too hot to sit outside. Let’s go in.”

“Chenle, my parents are home.”  _ Well what are you trying to insinuate with that, idiot. _

__ “So? I’ve seen your parents before. Your mom made me lemonade.”  _ You are so cute.  _

__ “Yeah- right. Forgot about that.” Admittedly Jisung was not thinking anything remotely outlandish. He just liked being alone with Chenle. Having him all to himself in their own little world. The things he felt for Chenle were pure and warm and unlike anything he’d ever known, and having his mom walk in with a plate of melon while he was intently admiring his cheek’s was never on his to-do list. Nevertheless, he followed. 

As they entered the standard townhome they were met with a staircase and a closet, to his left Jisung could hear his mom and dad talking in the kitchen, so he opted to pull Chenle upstairs to avoid having to interact altogether. Once they made it up to the second landing Jisung led the boy to his room, quietly shutting them inside before exhaling a sigh of relief. “Good. Hopefully they didn’t see us.”

“Why? Are you embarrassed of me or something?” The question was mostly a joke, but the tinge of honest curiosity broke Jisung’s heart a bit. He wasn’t embarrassed of Chenle. Not at all. 

“No. No absolutely not. I just…” 

“I know you googled me.”

“What?” Jisung’s blood froze. He was sure he was ice. A statue. As good as useless.  _ How? _

“You sent me a screenshot at lunch of that twitter post and must have forgotten to crop out the text from ‘Renjun’. Rich boy is doing just fine, by the way.” Chenle didn’t say it with any malice, or any emotion resembling anger. If anything, he was smirking a bit. 

“Chenle, I’m sorry that was completely wrong of me to do. Like, an invasion of privacy wrong and I-“ Chenle cut Jisung off by reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder, giving him a smile that  _ almost  _ showed his cheek whiskers. 

“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have lied to you and been so bad at it.”  _ Huh?  _ “Can I at least know what you found?” Chenle let go of Jisung and went over to his bed, plopping down on it as he’d done many times before. It usually ended in him being entirely knocked out while Jisung sat stiff trying everything in his power not to wake him. “C’mon silly, sit. Spill.”

Jisung willed himself over to the bed and sat on the edge of it, keeping a good distance between him and Chenle. “Just, don’t be mad.”

“Have you ever seen me mad?”  _ No. Never. _

“Okay. Well. I found out that you weren’t born in New York. You live with your aunt because your parents are in China, which explains why you never let me over. Your grandpa is filthy rich and because the way capital works you are also filthy rich. Your dads a concert pianist and you’re a child prodigy.” Jisung glanced over at Chenle nervously, but was met with only the brightest of grins that seeped into his heart and caused a confused smile to form on his features. “What?”

“Yeah that pretty much sums it up.”

“Okay- wait. If you’re not mad, why’d you lie to me in the first place?” Truthfully it made zero sense to him, as he was expected to be met with a ‘don’t speak to me again, creep’. Then again, Renjun was dating two stalkers.

“Because, I didn’t want you to look at me differently.” 

“I wouldn’t have! Besides, why would you care what I think?” 

“Isn’t it obvious, Jisung?”

Jisung looked at the boy across from him on the bed and understood exactly what he meant. Through all of Jisung’s staring, he knew Chenle was staring back.

“Can we take a nap?” Chenle burrowed himself back into Jisung’s pillows, and without saying a word Jisung laid down next to the older boy, their bodies curving towards each other as they watched each other’s features carefully.

The pair laid that way the rest of the afternoon, talking, laughing, confessing. As expected Chenle fell asleep, but instead of being frozen in fear, Jisung reached a hand out to rest on his cheek, letting his own eyes fall shut.

———

Jaemin was sitting at the dining table that was visible from the front door, giving him a perfect view of when Jeno would eventually storm in, puppy dog eyed and with several bottles of Jaemin’s favorite cold brew. Renjun was sitting on the couch, hoping that when Jeno walked in he wouldn’t notice him as he made his way to Jaemin to apologize. 

And sure enough, within seconds of them taking their respective spots, the front door swung open. Jeno came walking in with a bag in one hand and the pizza boxes in the other that he gently placed on the entry table as he walked up to Jaemin. Jaemin, knowing look and all, stood from his seat and let Jeno come to him. The pair hugged, tightly, warmly, and Renjun quietly stood from his spot on the couch to come up behind them and surprise Jeno, but he was frozen in place by the dark haired boy's sudden words.

“I’m sorry, Jaem. I was being petty and I was wrong.” Jeno’s face was buried so deeply into Jaemin’s neck it was as if he was hoping to drown in it. Jaemin knew the argument wasn’t the end of the world, but Jeno was nothing if not extremely apologetic when he was in the wrong. “And now Renjun’s gone and he probably isn’t going to want to come back.” Jaemin reached a hand up to soothe Jeno’s hair, an empathetic smile tugging at his lips as he watched Renjun inch closer.

“Babe,” Jaemin said softly, trying to lift his boyfriend’s head to look at him. Reluctantly he did, and every hardened feature had melted into pure remorse and regret. It broke Jaemin’s heart.

“You know, you’ve really got to stop assuming you know what I want, Jeno.” Renjun couldn’t hold it in any longer, hands balled into tiny nervous fists at his side as he waited for Jeno to turn and face him. 

Jaemin looked on in adorable amusement as Jeno swiftly turned himself around, eyes wide at Renjun as if he was some sort of ghost. “Renjun.”

“In the flesh.”

“I thought you would have-” Jeno was cut off. Whether by the hands being grasped into the front of his shirt by the smaller boy or by their lips being pressed together in the softest of kisses, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that his hands easily found their way to Renjun’s waist, solid and small in his grasp, and he pulled him impossibly closer. 

From behind them Jaemin watched patiently, a soft smile illuminating his features as he stepped closer to the pair, his body coming around to envelop Renjun’s back. The three of them seemed to fit perfectly in each other's arms, and as Renjun pulled away from Jeno for just a second, Jaemin’s finger tilted his chin towards him, catching his lips in another kiss. As they did, Jeno leaned forward and kissed Renjun’s cheek, trailing his lips down along his jawline.  _ Finally.  _ The sentiment lingered unspoken between them as they got to be as close as they wanted to be. One of Jeno’s hands reached out to rest on Jaemin’s neck, feeling the flex of his muscles while his boyfriend’s lips worked against… his other boyfriend’s. 

The kisses began gently, but as Renjun was pulling away for breath he looked up to see the two other boys staring at him, something aching and loud in their eyes. They tasted like mint gum and salty skin and weeks of desperation. Jaemin and Jeno pressed their foreheads together above Renjun, sharing a soft kiss of their own, and Renjun let his lips press against Jeno’s neck, feeling their warmth surrounding him as Jeno’s arm’s tightened around his waist. Before he had time to process it Renjun was being tossed over the dark haired boy’s shoulder, a sound of protest escaping him until he looked up to see Jaemin taking Jeno’s free hand, trailing behind him as he led them towards their bedroom.

Within seconds Renjun was being laid down onto the bed, Jaemin immediately coming to lay down next him, hands roaming over his clothes as Jeno dropped down on the other side, tilting Renjun’s chin to face him. 

“Guess you can finally join us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy. So. Yay! A kiss! I wonder what the morning after will bring?


	5. The Morning After (The End)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renjun finally get's to tell Jeno how he feels.

_ Finally. Finally. Finally.  _

Renjun wasn’t sure when his conscience abandoned him. Somewhere in between lips on his neck and hands on his body. Soft sighs and clothes strewn all over the floor and fingers laced so tightly together as to make their knuckles white. He couldn’t remember when he clocked out from Jaemin’s grip on his throat or Jeno’s fingertips grazing his thighs. White hot and fuzzy, completely transfixed and simultaneously unable to comprehend a single thing. Was it a dream? Every electric moment of skin on skin that elicited the sweetest of sounds from the three of them. Noses buried in necks and Renjun’s back pressed against a strong chest, firm arms wrapping around him as if their lives depended on it. Sweet praises falling from Jaemin’s lips like thick honey, sounding less than innocent entering his ears. Renjun knew what had happened, and he knew every mark would remind him when he finally woke up, but when his eyes crept open to a pitch black room and a sore throat, he thought maybe he had just imagined it. He shifted slightly, an arm around his waist from behind restricting his movements.  _ Jaemin.  _ In front of him was a figure practically radiating heat, and Renjun’s hand was being lazily held by the other boy.  _ Jeno.  _ So it wasn’t a dream. 

Jaemin was a heavy sleeper, and once he was out there was no waking him. Jeno, however, felt the small shift from the boy in front of him, and his hand tightened around Renjun’s to let him know he was awake.

“Hi,” Jeno said softly, not wanting to bother Jaemin despite his rock-like state. Renjun could practically hear the little smile in his voice through that single word.

“Hi,” he whispered back, cringing slightly at the hoarseness of his voice.

“Are you okay?” Jeno’s free hand reached up and rested on Renjun’s cheek, his thumb caressing the soft skin as if he were the most delicate thing in the world.

“I think I need some water.”  _ Ouch.  _ Renjun had admittedly never been with guys before, despite being openly bisexual the oppourtunity had never presented itself, and having two in a single evening took a bit of a toll on him.

“I’ll get you some, hold on.” Jeno leaned forward and placed the softest of kisses to Renjun’s forehead before gently getting out of bed. Renjun watched as his shadowed frame went to the bedroom door, suddenly being illuminated by the living room lights they’d left on. The back of Jeno’s naked body was breathtaking- literally, Renjun forgot to breathe. Broad shoulders and a slim waist and muscular legs. Suddenly flashes came back to him from who knows how much earlier. Jeno was definitely strong, his fingertips never missing the opportunity to bruise his skin. Renjun was sure he looked beaten up. 

As Jeno returned to the room he shut most of the light’s off in the living room, leaving the hallway light on to allow Renjun to see as he brought him his water.

“Here, sit up,” Jeno came around to the side of the bed, holding the glass out for the smaller boy to take.

“But, Jaemin.” The words were in reference to the arm wrapped around his waist, to which Jeno gave a light chuckle as he lifted the silver haired boy's arm from around Renjun, laying it back down gently at his side. “Thanks.” Renjun sat up from his position on the bed and his whole body ached in the best way possible. He was entirely spent, with sore muscles and weak arms, but completely and utterly satisfied. He took the glass of water with a small “thank you,” before taking a few sips, the cold providing some relief to his sore throat. 

“You know, the tissue inside your mouth is extremely sensitive and prone to tearing or irritation. Probably should’ve taken it easy on you.” Jeno had a small air of pride showing through his concern, but still felt genuinely bad for hurting Renjun (even if he asked for it).

“How do you know that?” Renjun asked between sips, looking up at Jeno in the soft light, completely enamoured by how fucking gorgeous he was.

“I was pre-med. Until I realized I hated it.”

“I didn’t know that.” Renjun drank about half of his water before handing the glass to Jeno, who promptly set it on the nightstand before going to shut the bedroom door, quickly making his way back into bed. As he did, Renjun nustled himself back under the covers, seeming to fit perfectly in the curve of Jaemin’s body.

Once under the covers, Jeno turned on his side to face Renjun once again, his hand reaching out to gently brush his fingertips against the boy's arm. It was intimate and safe and everything Renjun ever wanted. “I don’t like to talk about it. Makes me seem like some sort of loser for choosing music production over being a do-” Renjun cut him off, unable to contain himself in the gentle moment from leaning in and placing a light kiss to Jeno’s lips.

Jeno immediately responded, arm fully wrapping around Renjun’s small frame to pull him closer. The kiss was much gentler than the ones they’d last shared, full of adoration and comfort, as if they’d done it a million times. After a few moments the pair pulled away, and a toothy smile grew on Renjun’s features that he was glad Jeno couldn’t see.

“What was that for?” Jeno said softly, hand soothingly rubbing Renjun’s back.

“Am I not allowed to just kiss you because I want to?” One of Renjun’s hand’s found its way to Jeno’s stomach, timid fingertips feeling every dip and curve of his muscles. Jeno wasn’t real, he was sure of it.

“Huang Renjun, you can do whatever you want to me.” The words were spoken softly but with so much weight. Jeno wanted to emphasize as much as he could that he belonged to Renjun, just as much as he belonged to Jaemin. The three of them coalesced in something so simple that just made  _ sense.  _ They laughed together and cried together and grew together in just a few weeks. Jeno had sworn he’d never felt more at home.

“Jeno, I never got to say this, but,” Renjun took a breath, remembering his confession to Jaemin that Jeno had missed. He probably knew well enough what Renjun felt, but he wanted to say it anyways. “I really, really like you. Both of you. You and Jaemin were the most unexpected surprise I couldn’t have possibly imagined entering my life. From the moment I first saw you two I was addicted. I dreamt about you guys that night. Your ring-clad fingers and Jaemin’s silver hair. Ever since you stumbled onto that stoop and became a part of my life you’ve stayed consistent in it.” Jeno took an inhale, as if he wanted to say something, but paused as Renjun continued. “I was terrified of you two. Terrified that I was so smitten after meeting you once, but now I feel more sure than ever.”

“Sure of what?” Jeno’s words finally found him. 

“Sure that this...” Renjun glanced behind him at a still sound asleep Jaemin, his heart swelling in such a way he thought it might be unsafe. “It’s something I could get used to.”

Jeno wasn’t sure why, but part of him wanted to cry, or scream, or squish Renjun and Jaemin until they popped. He adored them, with everything, and knowing Renjun felt the same way, and wanted to work with them, was the most relieving thing he’d ever heard. Like every worry he’d ever had suddenly lifted off of him, making him weightless- free.

“Yah, go to sleep,” a sleepy Jaemin mumbled, his arm coming back around to grab Renjun, pulling him impossibly close to his body like he was nothing but a stuffed animal.

This caused the awake pair to chuckle, Renjun accepting his fate and getting comfortable as Jeno reached out to rest his arm on Jaemin’s.

“Goodnight, Injun,” Jeno said as he placed the softest of kisses to Renjun’s cheek.

“Night, Jeno.”

Everything felt warm and right and like nothing Renjun ever thought he was even capable of feeling. He had no idea those two drunk gods stumbling onto his pity party on a random stoop would end in… this. Renjun saw a future with them he’d never seen before. Something strong and trustworthy and exciting. As he dozed off, his thoughts finally fading once again, he allowed himself to be completely enveloped by the two boys around him, their soft breathing pulling him away to sleep.


End file.
